When Top Rank first reached out to unbeaten lightweight and top prospect Keyshawn "The Businessman" Davis about a homecoming fight in his native Norfolk, Virginia, the 2020 U.S. Olympic silver medalist loved everything about the idea except for the opponent.
Top Rank, a longtime central player in the boxing promotions world, known for careful attention to detail in matchmaking after years of success turning young hopefuls into future stars, preferred that the 25-year-old Davis match his skills against former featherweight titleholder and Jamaican slugger Nicholas "The Axe Man" Walters.
That's where Davis (11-0, 7 KOs) put his foot down.
"That's real … I denied [Top Rank's request] as soon as they said Nicholas," Davis told CBS Sports last week. "[Walters] is a decent fighter, he's just 38. My team told me to go sit down with Top Rank and figure this out [so] I went down to the Top Rank offices and told them I don't want to fight Nicholas because when I stop him, they are going to say 'The Businessman' stopped a 38-year-old man. It's not going to be a significant win.
"I didn't want to come to my hometown and just get a knockout because it's easy. I want to give them a real fight."
Instead, Davis requested the tough and battle-tested Argentinian Gustavo Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) for the fight, which headlines Friday's card from The Scope in what amounts to Norfolk's first major boxing event since the late Hall-of-Famer Pernell Whitaker defended his WBC welterweight title against James "Buddy" McGirt in 1994.
The event is very much a family affair for Davis, who will share the card with his two brothers, Kelvin (13-0), a 27-year-old welterweight, and Keon, a 6-foot-3 junior middleweight who, at 23, will be making his pro debut. All three go by the moniker of "DB3," complete with their own logo and merchandise.
The tie-in with Whitaker, a 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist from Norfolk, is also intentional as "Sweet Pea," before his untimely 2019 death when he was hit by a car while crossing the street, was an early mentor for all three Davis brothers after identifying their talents at an amateur tournament. The Davis family, in fact, have invited Whitaker's family to watch Friday's event in person.
"It means a lot to me, honestly," Davis said. "I love my city. I perform the way I perform because of where I come from. I get my character, my confidence and my mentality from where I come from."
Davis said he feels no pressure headlining an event that was very much put together because of him. And if you listen to him talk during interviews, many of which see him calling out a number of boxing's biggest stars, including lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis, it's easy to understand why.
What Davis is most excited about, however, is getting to showcase to the world just how talented his family actually is. And the fact that the event was just about an instantaneous sellout with more than 9,000 tickets sold is just icing on the cake.
"It means the world and shout out to Top Rank for giving us this show in our hometown," Davis said. "But it's something we have been talking about since we were in middle school and we made it happen. We put our work in and built up our names enough so we can sell out this venue. We didn't want a lowkey scene. When we dream, we vision big. We always said that when we come home to The Scope, we will sell it out. It's crazy.
"We still are trying to show the world that it's not just about 'The Businessman.' This is 'DB3.' It's the Davis brothers, there are three of us. With Keon turning pro, now I can say we are finally starting this and can actually grow our brand so that people know what it is."
Although all three brothers are quite different in terms of their size and the weight class they currently operate in, Davis believes what they all share is what he calls that "I'm going to beat your ass" mentality.
"We all come from Norfolk and come from the same mother and father. We are all out here trying to make the biggest fights happen," Davis said. "Now that the youngest brother, Keon Davis, is making his debut, y'all are going to see that his potential is beyond the charts. He has more potential than me and my oldest brother. I honestly think he is going to be better than me and my oldest brother. People are going to fall in love with him just like they fell in love with me."
Tasked with the role of playing spoiler is Lemos, a 28-year-old fighter from Buenos Aires who is looking to redeem himself from his first pro defeat in April when he dropped a close and disputed unanimous decision to unbeaten Richardson Hitchins in a fight many felt he had done enough to win. The fight was also Lemos' first outside of his native Argentina.
"I don't see any difference between this and my last fights," Lemos said at Wednesday's final press conference. "I have a strong opponent, and I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity. I've always said that [Davis] is a good opponent and that we're going to have a beautiful fight."
Even though Davis argued with his own promoter about getting Friday's opponent changed to the more capable Lemos, "The Businessman" believes as a 6-to-1 betting favorite that he will be way too much for his opponent to handle.
"[Lemos] is going to be as tough as all my other opponents," Davis said. "People need to start putting a different respect on my name. If you know boxing like I do, Gustavo Lemos never fought anyone as gritty as me who will actually fight him back."
Davis vs. Lemos fight card, odds
- Keyshawn Davis -600 vs. Gustavo Daniel Lemos +425, lightweights
- Ra'eese Aleem -1800 vs. Derlyn Hernandez +850, featherweights
- Troy Isley -1600 vs. Tyler Howard +800, middleweights
- Abdullah Mason -3500 vs. Yohan Vasquez +1300, lightweights
Where to watch Davis vs. Lemos
- Date: Friday, Nov. 8
- Location: Scope Arena -- Norfolk, Virginia
- Start time: 6:20 p.m. ET (prelims) -- 10 p.m. ET (main card)
- Streaming: ESPN+
Prediction
While Lemos will undoubtedly be motivated to avenge such a disputed loss, the difference in talent between he and Davis is palpable.
Lemos is a decent puncher with a good reputation as a tough out, but he'll be giving up nearly five inches in height to Davis and a similar amount in reach. And even though Davis is more known for his flashy skills coming off such a deep Olympic run in Tokyo, it has been his aggressive power punching and combinations that have regularly overwhelmed his opposition, which includes an impressive stoppage of former world champion Jose Pedraza in February.
Up to this point, Davis has been everything he says he is and more as a professional. Look for him to showcase every bit of his talent and showmanship in a one-sided takedown of a durable opponent. Pick: Davis via TKO8
